City Treasurer’s – Accountancy

City Treasurer’s – Accountancy Source: CIPFA Accountancy Benchmarking Club 2006 FOR INFORMATION ONLY

City Treasurer’s – Internal Audit Source: CIPFA Internal Audit Benchmarking Club 2006 FOR INFORMATION ONLY

City Treasurer’s – Insurance Lowest unit cost per claim handled (i.e. £290) when compared to other core cities FOR INFORMATION ONLY

City Treasurer’s FOR INFORMATION ONLY

X Performance No change from previous year Spend FOR INFORMATION ONLY

City Treasurer’s Temporary increase in resources to improve efficiency and effectiveness (spend to save): • Accountancy transformation programme (e.g. corporate budget monitoring tool) – transformation fund • Increased focus on improving strategic capital and asset management process – transformation fund • Increased focus on improving VFM and efficiency – transformation fund and internal prioritisation • Income and debt management project – treasury management savings • Additional investment in IT audit and anti-fraud and corruption audit – corporate growth and transformation fund • Additional investment in contract management – transformation fund and then self-funding FOR INFORMATION ONLY

Organisational Development * Source: DLA Benchmarking Club 2006 FOR INFORMATION ONLY

Organisational Development • Improved sickness absence (i.e. 13.4 days in 2002/03 and 10.6 days in 2006/07) • 26% reduction in major injuries from 2005/06 to 2006/07 • 14% reduction in accidents resulting in over 3 days absence from 2005/06 to 2006/07 • Improved diversity PIs • Improved staff survey results (i.e. 32 ratings higher and 7 ratings lower) • 9,000+ employees trained in E&D • 800+ managers trained on NMP FOR INFORMATION ONLY

Organisational Development • Good employee relations • Budget workforce reduction implemented successfully each year • 2,300 equal pay claims settled • Single Status phase 1 delivered and phase 2 progressing well But • Does not have controlling impact on Council wide workforce PIs; and • BVPIs do not reflect much of OD Service (Safety, Training, Single Status) FOR INFORMATION ONLY

Workforce BVPIs FOR INFORMATION ONLY

X Organisational Development Performance X Workforce indicators Spend FOR INFORMATION ONLY

X Combined Performance No change from previous year Spend FOR INFORMATION ONLY

Organisational Development • Enabling further manager self-service through modernising HR and health and safety intranet sites and training • Improving efficiency of HR procedures following completion of single status pay and grading review in 2008 • Continue to optimise benefits of SAP HR system FOR INFORMATION ONLY

Policy and Performance Average spend per head of population slightly under benchmark average consisting of Bristol, Birmingham, Leeds, Liverpool, Manchester, Sheffield, Nottingham, Gateshead and North & South Tyneside (based on existing population data) No single cost yet identified on all policy/research across Newcastle City Council. Efficiency to be achieved. FOR INFORMATION ONLY

Policy and Performance FOR INFORMATION ONLY

X Performance No assessment for previous year Spend FOR INFORMATION ONLY

Policy and Performance • Corporate review – opportunities for new ways of joining policy, analysis and delivery • Need for increased emphasis on research/analysis, and economic and social policy • Strengthening of economic policy with appointment of Head of Service FOR INFORMATION ONLY

Community Development FOR INFORMATION ONLY

Community Development • Steadily improving satisfaction levels with Members and directorates • Integral support to participatory budgeting pilots and delivery of new corporate engagement strategy • Links the development of corporate policy to grass roots community issues (i.e. regeneration strategy) FOR INFORMATION ONLY

X Performance Limited comparative performance data – no assessment for previous year Spend FOR INFORMATION ONLY

Community Development • Young Foundation work on neighbourhoods next steps agenda – opportunity for further evolution of the Community Development function • Making further savings in 2007/08 and completing transformation process • Will be playing a leadership role in inclusion/engagement in 2007/08 (e.g. participatory budgeting and community development programme) • Corporate review of community development activity across whole organisation to be led by Deputy Chief Executive FOR INFORMATION ONLY

Communications and Marketing • No spend comparators available as each authority measures and defines its communication/marketing functions very differently, so comparison undertaken instead against a benchmarking club covering 43 other authorities • Comparison covers one comparable cost indicator (Council magazine/newspaper) and five comparable quality indicators (two for communication with residents and one each for internal communication, strategic influence, and corporate consistency) FOR INFORMATION ONLY

Communications and Marketing • A step change in internal communications is in hand, although this will require further resources to fund a staff newsletter to become fully embedded • A significantly enhanced marketing function to promote change in public behaviour in key priority areas is also in hand (although this will have limited direct impact on the team’s own performance indicators, and impact more on other services) FOR INFORMATION ONLY

Corporate Business Management • Comparative data has been obtained by direct contact with core cities, Tyne & Wear and Nearest Neighbours to a lesser extent • Cost comparisons are based on staffing structures where available, however, structures in other local authorities often differ • Performance data is generally derived from CPA use of resources scores • Data is not available for all services in both dimensions FOR INFORMATION ONLY

Corporate Business Management FOR INFORMATION ONLY

Corporate Business Management • Improved CPA Use of Resources overall score from 2 to 3 for the financial year 2005/06, which also included achieving an improved score of 3 for asset management • Managed the Council’s engagement with the corporate assessment inspection process • Ensured CXO met the requirements for Level 3 of the Equality Standard for Local Government • Played a key role in ensuring that the Council achieved Level 3 of the Equality Standard for Local Government • Developed strong programme management structures for the Children’s Services transformation programme • Played a key role in the management of the MTP process FOR INFORMATION ONLY

Corporate Business Management • To build on contacts with other local authorities in comparator groups to encourage more robust benchmarking for 2008, however, it must be acknowledged that differences in Council structures make this difficult • Measures of performance beyond CPA data, such as benchmarkable customer satisfaction surveys, will be developed • External review to be commissioned to validate value for money and benefits realised FOR INFORMATION ONLY

Exchequer Services – Payroll Source: CIPFA Payroll Benchmarking Club 2006 FOR INFORMATION ONLY

X Last year’s assessment covered Exchequer Services as a whole X Performance Spend FOR INFORMATION ONLY

Exchequer Services – Payroll • Focus on greater potential automation (e.g. DMS) • Focus on non-staff costs (e.g. e-pay slips) • Continue to optimise investment in MSS FOR INFORMATION ONLY

Exchequer Services – Debtors and Creditors Source: CIPFA Debtors/Creditors Benchmarking Club 2006 FOR INFORMATION ONLY

Exchequer Services – Debtors and Creditors FOR INFORMATION ONLY

X Last year’s assessment covered Exchequer Services as a whole X Debtors Performance X Creditors Spend FOR INFORMATION ONLY

Exchequer Services – debtors and creditors • Debtors – new income and debt management system (due to go live in autumn 2007) and policy will further improve performance • Creditors – 2007/08 year to date performance ahead of target plus implementation of payment cards will assist in the reduction of staff costs FOR INFORMATION ONLY

Benefits Source: CIPFA Finance & General Statistics 2007/08 FOR INFORMATION ONLY

Benefits FOR INFORMATION ONLY

X X 2007/08 Performance 2006/07 Spend FOR INFORMATION ONLY

Benefits • Cost of staffing will fall as a result of restructure in April 2007 • Rationalisation of office accommodation • Fraud performance will be maintained over the next year • Processing claims will significantly improve FOR INFORMATION ONLY

Revenues Source: CIPFA Finance & General Statistics 2007/08 FOR INFORMATION ONLY

Revenues *After compensating for deprivation according to DCLG (ODPM) methodology, the Council is in the top quartile FOR INFORMATION ONLY

X Council Tax – adjusted for deprivation X Council Tax – not adjusted for deprivation Performance X NNDR Spend FOR INFORMATION ONLY

X X 2007/08 – combined Performance 2006/07 Spend FOR INFORMATION ONLY

Revenues • Cost of staffing will fall as a result of restructure in April 2007 • Council Tax recovery and NNDR will both continue to improve over previous years targets and comparator organisations • Rationalisation of office accommodation FOR INFORMATION ONLY

ICT Services Source: SOCITM 2005/06 National Benchmarking Survey FOR INFORMATION ONLY

X 2007/08 – no change Performance Spend FOR INFORMATION ONLY

ICT Services • ICT enabling business transformation across the Council • ICT investment strategy • 2006/07 benchmarking results due in August • Continuous improvement: - Review of disaster recovery - Server rationalisation - Review of S&M contracts - Implementation of ITIL FOR INFORMATION ONLY

City Treasurer’s – Accountancy